The Living Aeon
by May-VeggieGirl1
Summary: Let the dead deal with death and the living rejoice in its fruits." When Yuna and the party fail to defeat Sin head on, Auron hatches a plan to attempt the Final Summoning after all. Can they keep Yuna & the Final Aeon alive AND permanently eliminate Sin?


**_The Living Aeon  
By: May-VeggieGirl1_**

**_Disclaimer: What's this? You expect ME, the great wonderful me, the almighty and limitless me, the powerful, generous, and totally NOT egotistic me, to actually say I don't own anything? Hahaha--no, you're right, I dun own squat man. Bummer, huh?_**

**_Yes, I know, I KNOW I shouldn't be starting ANOTHER fic, knowing the twenty million Gundams ones I have on mediaminer, the DBZ ones here, the OTHER two FFX ones here, and the two YYH fics I haven't gotten the chance to post up yet! BUT this idea is KILLING me and I've been brooding over it for the last two days! In fact I couldn't even sleep thelast two nights, it was too busy buzzing and playing the situation over and over again in my head! So, since I haven't gotten the chance to finish my other one shot due to this fic, I'm gonna see how far I can push this little baby. Don't feel bad if I never update or take it down, I'm sorry if so. R/R!_**

**_Last Note: As far as I know of the moment, no definite pairings. It might seem like there is some AuronYuna going on at first, but I assure you that is not the case._**

**_Summary: "Let the dead deal with death and the living rejoice in its fruits." When Yuna and the party fail to defeat Sin head on, Auron hatches a plan to attempt the Final Summoning after all. Can they keep Yuna & the Final Aeon alive AND permanently eliminate Sin? Which Guardian can change the spiral of death forever as the Living Aeon and how? AU-- R/R_**

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I will deticate and sacrifice my everything  
For just a seconds worth of how my story's ending  
And I wish I could know if the directions that I take  
And all the choices that I make  
Won't end up all for nothing

_Show me what it's for, make me understand it  
I've been crawling in the dark, looking for the answer  
Is there something more than what I've been handed?  
I've been crawling in the dark, looking for the answer__  
(Hoobstank- Crawling in the Dark)_

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**_Chapter 1: The Gist of It All_**

I must defeat Sin. I must defeat Sin.

The thoughts clung onto Yuna's desperate sanity as she laid in bed staring at the ceiling with such unusual vigor and spite she may have burnt a hole through it. Thankfully though she had not. Everyone was feeling some sort of depressed or irate emotions from their recent loss so setting off her friends and family would be as easy as spotting pyreflies in the Zanarkand dome.

Not even a few days ago had they challenged Sin and barely escaped with their lives. Now Yuna laid in bed, brooding for what seemed to be the first time in her life. She had never felt such intense remorse and it almost frightened herself, but nonetheless she couldn't help but lay there and scream in her head how nothing in this world makes sense and why no one could find the strength to defeat Sin and why can't Spira live with REAL hope for a change instead of the false Calm. She was so angry, so sick of people dying and failing and never even realizing their deaths meant nothing, that their lives meant nothing, that nothing meant NOTHING! Her head could've exploded at this point with the negativity and she would still be crying for the answers to people who couldn't respond.

"Calm down Yuna." The deep voice pierced the silent room, which she had not realized was silent in fact until a real substance, a real vibration, bounced around the room a few times and back. Her shaking body and unsteady breath tried to return to equilibrium but found it was difficult as hot tears streamed down her pale face. The man sherefers to asher legendaryguardian and single remaining voice of reason stepped further inside the room, his red, overly large coat brushing by the door. For someone who seemed so bulk and husky, his footsteps were quiet as they traced across the wooden plank of Cid's airship. Her face twisted in agony as she tried to shield her withering form from his eyes; she had never felt so disjointed with herself and was even more afraid that he would see. Did she look weak, like she was about to give up? Just thinking those dreadful, fate-sealing words made her slink lower in bed, curling with disgust.

His scarred face softened as worry visibly layered over the cold and resolute Auron.  
"Yuna, you could always--"

"No, Sir Auron, I can never. Not after facing Lady Yunalesca, not after living through the Mi'ihen disaster and a duel with Sin, not after Sin took my one and only father who I loved with every fiber of my being. I will never turn back. I will defeat Sin. I will vanquish sorrow." Even in the mental clutter of failure, she managed to shine with determination of steel as an unbelievably strong voice from deep within her rung out. Auron simply nodded quietly with understanding.

"I figured as much." Yuna rubbed the saltysolution from her eyes and finally found more courage to look up at the man she respected so much, not as much as her own guardian but as a man her very said father had trusted and loved more than his life. Auron may as well have been her long lost older brother in Braska's eyes. "I came to ask you if you had any idea what to do now. Anything to focus on?"

"I have nothing." She quietly bowed her head in shame again, her anger haddriven her away from the ever-building question and she reached absolutely nothing within that time. Except maybe one definition.  
"But I know, we will never try that again. We won't-- we _can't_ win by attacking it head on. We need something **_more_**." _Like a Final Aeon more_? The traditional possibility struck both of their minds but neither spoke. That more was out of the question. If the fayth couldn't break the cycle and if humans couldn't even shake the cycle, what could? Faith, in general, was out the window. If people didn't have enough faith sometime within a thousand years, it would never be enough. Machina can't, it is manmade after all. Atonement was revealed to be a scam by Yevon, thanks to Yunalesca. What else was there? Nothing. Yuna knew they were at the end of their rope, the only thing keeping their hold was the sheer will. And will seemed to have come up short against Sin already.

"Has anyone thought of anything?" Auron slowly shook his head, which was hard to tell by his large collar but Yuna caught the answer from the etched silence of the room. Anger rose again in her as her delicate white hands clenched the sweat-soaked sheet. "Something created Sin... something must overcome it..." The statement fell upon deaf ears as Auron turned back to the door.

"I'll report to the others. Is there anything you need Yuna?"

"No, thank you Sir Auron." With a slight nod, Auron left Yuna to ponder and hate futility, alone in quietude.

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The unsettled blonde paced rhythmically in the ship's cabin, hands locked behind his back, eyes furrowed at the ground, lips curled into a slight snarl. He was as furious as Yuna, no, he was beyond enraged. The worst part was his old man was mocking him, Tidus knew it.He could just feel Jecht laughing at his failure and asking him, 'what now, boy? Gonna go cry again?' And he was so mad at the idea his father was screwing with his head that he did in fact almost run off crying. He stopped in mid-pace, sharp on his heel while glancing up at the other two guardians in the room. 

"Let's go! As soon as Yuna's feeling better, we head back!" The older man shook his head, the orange pushed-back bangs followed in the air.

"What's the point in that, ya? What would make the next duel different than the last?"

"Well... we could, um..." Tidus gritted his teeth. "We could always try a different strategy!"

"Like?" The black mage moved forward to the center of the room, still holding her moogle.

"Maybe this time Auron can use Sentinel instead of attacking, and Yuna can cast shell on us and heal on him while the rest of us attack!" Lulu brought her hand, covered in her sleeve, up to her forehead.

"That's what we did last time. Sin hardly attacked physically this time and Yuna was too busy healing to cast Shell."

"Oh. Well, we could always--"

"Quit while you're ahead." Auron stepped into the room behind the automatic doors. Tidus snorted while crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Why should I?"

"Because it isn't becoming to be thick-headed. Even Yuna saw this effort as a failed attempt in which wewere lucky to escape withour lives. So you can throw away all those petty plans." Tidus's mouth dropped open as his eyes wandered back to the floor. 'Yuna said we weren't going to face Sin like that again?' He thought while bitterly sitting on the ground in a huff.

"Yeah, keep laughing old man," Tidus mumbled softly out the crowd's hearing. He really wanted another crack at Jecht.

"Right now we need to focus on finding another path _then_ we can set about with preparations. Understood?" But the moment Auron finished the sentece, his voice caught in his throat like a jagged edge and he quickly drew in a shakey breath. The other three brought their attention up at him from the floor as he turned back to the door and stared at the ceiling.

"Sir Auron?" Wakka asked quietly while re-adjusting his head band and stepping forward with regard for theobviously more experienced guardian. "Is something..." His voice trailed off as his eyes lingered over to Lulu for confirmation. Some words were not to be spoken aloud here.

"...No." Tidus shifted his weight and stared up at the crimson clad back, his eyes trailing over every detail and gesture of the posture. After ten years of basically knowing the man, he could read somethings about him with great, careful examination. Still, it wasn't an easy thing for him, so normally he would just forget the whole idea. This is Auron we were talking about afterall, the very pinnacle of secrets.  
From what Tidus could see, Auron's head was tilting back, looking at the metal chrome above, his free arm resting inside his coat lazily, body completely verticle and slightly stiff and feet mostly spread apart. Completely void of all emotions or at least cloaking them, as always.No doubt he was pondering... but what? Despite the usual, extreme teenage slack-attitude, he continued to thrive over unveiling the mystery when suddenly it hit him like bugbite stabbed theinfecting revelation in his head. Immediately aware of what it was all about, he grinned widely with renewed hope.

Auron had an idea.

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Yup, I'm cutting it here 'folks. You'll hear the plan next chapter. Sorry, please review now!


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